ECVET based Agricultural Entrepreneurship Training Programme for young Roma and other disadvantaged unemployed Erasmus Project

Project Title

ECVET based Agricultural Entrepreneurship Training Programme for young Roma and other disadvantaged unemployed

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits)

Project Summary

“The Europe 2020 strategy sets a headline target of 75% of people in the EU aged 20-64 to be in employment, compared to a current rate of 68.8%. For Roma, the employment rate is significantly lower, with a gap of around 26 percentage points according to World Bank research covering Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Romania, and Serbia.” (European Commission: Roma Integration – 2014 Commission Assessment: Questions and Answers, Brussels, April 2014(!)).
Unemployment rates in general, youth unemployment rates in particular and especially unemployment rates within disadvantaged target groups in Europe such as Roma, migrants in general, ethnic minorities in general, low skilled persons in general are alarming all over Europe. Unemployment is in fact the biggest challenge for European society nowadays and the situation of the so called lost generation of young unemployed is going to have a sustainably bad impact on Europe’s development and cohesion. This is in fact alarming and calls for innovative and alternative solutions.

The main objective of the ECVET AGENT project was the development of a VET training programme for agricultural competences together with entrepeneurship training for micro entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector, recognising already existing competences and learning outcomes on the basis of the ECVET model for ROMA and other disadvantaged (long-term) unemployed persons.

This ECVET AGENT training project was:

a) innovative: no such approach is still available in the European member states at the moment, the approach of ECVET AGENT makes full use of the European transparency instruments and creates an innovative approach for a qualification in VET for a target group which is suffering from discrimination
b) motivating: the possibilty to use existing competences and knowledge in the recognition process made indivudial learning paths possible and motivated particiants to build on what is already existing in terms of personal skills and competences
c) relevant: the programme reflected the competences and needs of the target group as well as of the labour market, micro enterprises in the agricultural sector are able to bridge the gap between the large enterprises and the needs of customers in terms of flexibility, variety of the offers, seasonal changes
d) sustainable: our training programme in entrepreneurship allows from now on future self employment and maintenance of families and life. This investment in self employment and solid entrepreneurship skills as micro entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector in Europe is sustainable and self maintaining.

All these four elements created the innovative dimension of the ECVET AGENT project and made it unique compared to existing approaches.

The objective of the ECVET AGENT project was reached by concrete results:

1) Exploration study for the needs and requirements of the target group and the sector
2) VET training programme for agricultural entrepreneurship
3) ECVET based recognition procedure for learning outcomes from prior non formal or informal learning experiences

The ECVET AGENT project contributed to a reduction in the number of low-skilled adults (re-skilling and up-skilling of adults) and promoted the take-up of practical entrepreneurial experiences in education, training and youth work. Both planned achievements raised the expected results and satisfied all involved parties.

The result is that the average score from the participant evaluation of the pilot training also regarding their future employment opportunities is higher than 3 (out of 5 maximum score) and minimum 50 representatives of the target group in every partner country (except DE) will participate in the training programme every year after the project has ended.

The ECVET AGENT project met approval on local, regional, national and European level as it clearly contributed to a strategy which is a European recommendation and had impact and consequences for all political and geographical level – the integration of Roma citizens and other disadvantaged long term unemployed persons.

The ECVET AGENT project was developed by a consortium of eight partners representing Germany, Ireland, Slovakia, Italy, Romania, Croatia and Austria (2). The project consortium comprising NGOs, municipal organisations, VET providers, service organisations and private organisations were combining their considerable expertise to design and develop the training programme working closely with key stakeholders and target group members.

The ECVET AGENT project had a clear strategy for sustainablility as core element and output for the time after the finacial support of the European Union has ended. The long-term impact refers to long-term educational and training consequences that can be observed after a certain period following the completion of the project and affects the target group of the project and other groups outside the boundary of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 227108,74 Eur

Project Coordinator

EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURS, Verein zur Förderung von Benachteiligten in Europa & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Narodne centrum pre rovnost prilezitosti
• Land-und forstwirtschaftliche Fachschule ALT-GROTTENHOF
• Formazione Co&So Network
• Directia Generala de Asistenta Sociala si Protectia Copilului Harghita
• Meath Community Rural and Social Development Partnership Limited
• Autonomni centar
• INIT Development Ltd.